The 15 Best Teaser Trailers Ever

The ones that gave away just enough

Between gossipy casting news, leaked production photos, and endless set reports, it's increasingly difficult to go to a movie these days without already knowing virtually everything about it. Compounding that problem are theatrical trailers that, intent on making sure you know exactly what you're paying for, give the entire film away. That's why the trailer for The Signal, which just came out last weekend, was so refreshing: It alludes to all sorts of otherworldly phenomenon without actually explicating its central premise. Regardless of whether audiences found the story's mysteries great or not, it's a rare, welcome attempt to sell a movie by intriguing (if not outright confusing) viewers. Here, we present the fifteen best teaser trailers in cinema history — those that don't spoil every surprise but, instead, make you need to see more.

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The Matrix (1999)

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A flurry of then-unique sci-fi images, The Matrix's initial theatrical appearance was a confounding montage of leaping, flipping, twirling mayhem, punctuated by lots of slow-motion gunfire and an enigmatic website address — whatisthematrix.com – that created more interest in the film than any in-depth plot-recitation might.

The Shining (1980)

With such an illustrious cast, director, and source material, there was no need to spell out the particulars of The Shining. Thus, Stanley Kubrick went the ominously oblique route with this legendary trailer, in which the sight of credits crawling over a seemingly harmless shot of an elevator lobby finally erupts in bloody fashion.

Cloverfield (2008)

Yes, Cloverfield's teaser implies that it's for some sort of unholy monster movie. Yet what the film might specifically be about is left vague by the ad, which places an emphasis on home-video footage of a going-away party that culminates with a phenomenal what-the-hell shot of a famous head rolling down a Manhattan street.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Little more than a quick snippet of Heather Donahue snottily crying into the camera, The Blair Witch Project's first teaser does nothing but raise questions that it refuses to answer, a strategy that worked wonders for the groundbreaking indie, which itself turned out to be one long tease about unseen horrors.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

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An assembly line of Terminators being constructed leads to a shot of a flesh-and-metal Arnold Schwarzenegger in this classic Terminator 2: Judgment Day preview, which conveys nothing other than that the futuristic killing machine will, indeed, be back.

Total Recall (1990)

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The other great theatrical tease for an Arnold Schwarzenegger film came the year before T2, when Total Recall stirred up anticipation and excitement via a shot of the star's rotating head, some baffling sci-fi imagery, and portentous narration about mind theft.

Back to the Future (1985)

Teasers don't come more amazingly cheesy than the one for Back to the Future, which delivers a series of close-ups of someone getting into a high-tech car, and then ends with a tantalizing Michael J. Fox comment about going back in time.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

To the sound of children both laughing and crying, Halloween III: Season of the Witch's teaser zooms into a macabre witch's face with a spider crawling out of its mouth before closing with its title, in the process leaving viewers to wonder why Michael Myers isn't, apparently, part of this sequel's package.

Strange Days (1995)

No footage from the film is featured in the teaser for Strange Days, just a close-up of Ralph Fiennes's shady Lenny Nero giving an extended monologue (embellished by onscreen text) about the wonderful dreams and forbidden fantasies he can provide customers, and, by extension, what the film will offer audiences.

Alien (1979)

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Alien's unparalleled trailer opens with cascading shots through space and over planetary surfaces, as its title slowly materializes. Once that extraterrestrial egg cracks, otherworldly siren-like noises underscore a montage of increasingly harried clips that crescendo to a fevered pitch, and then give way to a silent shot of a tiny ship floating in space, and the greatest tagline in horror film history.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

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As droll as the work it's advertising, Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove trailer intercuts giant title card questions with choice soundbites from the film to create a hilarious, yet beguiling, preview of the action's Cold War insanity.

The Master (2012)

The Master's teaser doesn't even show Philip Seymour Hoffman's New Age guru, nor even imply that he's part of the film. Instead, focused solely on Joaquin Phoenix's damaged character, it merely hints at the film's — and its not-quite-there protagonist's — deranged state.

Inception (2010)

The spinning top and the upside-down hallway fight are both featured prominently in the teaser for Inception. However, devoid of context, these sights, and the tagline "Your Mind Is the Scene of the Crime," prove intriguing suggestions about a much larger, more elaborate mystery to come.

The Minus Man (1999)

Good luck figuring out what The Minus Man is about (or who stars in it, for that matter) via this wacko trailer, in which a couple leaving a theater after seeing the film debate it in oblique ways, all before the woman flees to.. well, just watch.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Arguably the greatest film ever was preceded by an equally stellar trailer, which features director Orson Welles, serving as narrator, introducing us to his cast, giving only the faintest outline of a plot synopsis, and then having various characters talk about Charles Foster Kane in ways designed to stoke curiosity.